


Rerum tanta novitas - All this Rebirth

by wicked3659



Category: Transformers - All Media Types, Transformers Animated (2007)
Genre: Mildly Dubious Consent, Zombies
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-10-18
Updated: 2014-10-18
Packaged: 2018-02-21 16:19:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 15,393
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2474579
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wicked3659/pseuds/wicked3659
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Scientists have a tendency to persue tracks of knowledge that they probably shouldn't, and sometimes the results aren't what they thought. They've brought Prowl back from the dead, but he's not the bot he used to be.</p><p>written for livejournals zombification.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Rerum tanta novitas - All this Rebirth

**Author's Note:**

  * For [ante_luce](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=ante_luce).



> Thanks to ante_luce for reading through and editing when needed and also for correcting my flagrant comma abuse ^^;;

Earth  


  


"Where did you find this?" 

  


The woman glanced up from her screen as she manipulated the crystal into the secure housing. She eyed the silver haired man disinterestedly. "Look who decided to show up. Thought you'd finally forgotten about us, Philip."

  


The man pursed his lips and leaned closer to the viewer. "You know me, been keeping busy."

  


"Mmhmm," the scientist finished up carefully and removed her hands from the protective gloves attached to the cabinet. She ran her hands through her hair and turned to regard him with a smirk. "And what's her name this time?"

  


"I'm all done with that. Didn't we talk about this?" 

  


"I talked about it, not sure what you were doing," she replied moving to stand beside him as he gazed through the transparent wall of the container. 

  


"Is it safe?" He murmured. 

  


"It's just a crystal. Despite the energy it emits, it doesn't appear to be reactive. We've placed it in this blast proof container just to be safe. It will contain up to 10 tonnes of C4. If that doesn't keep it, then the base is so far underground we'd barely blip on earthquake monitors and there is a self destruct just in case shit really does hit the fan."

  


Philip whistled. "That's some hard core shit, Jess."

  


"Better to be safe than sorry. We're dealing with alien technology here and they didn't exactly leave manuals when they were kicked off planet." 

  


Philip frowned. "When does the experiment start?" 

  


"It already has, we've been siphoning energy from this shard but the bigger one needs a boost. Seems to emit high energy levels when we put them together," Jess smiled faintly. "We're going to try the second merge in about an hour. If it works this little crystal could be the answer to the world's energy crisis," she shrugged. "Sumdac did what he could but the world needs this. We all need this." 

  


"You really think it could work?"

  


Their eyes met and she gave him a curt nod. "Sure as I am that you don't remember a word about our talk," she replied sardonically. 

  


Philip pulled a face as she turned on her heel and exited the room. "Ow, Jess, that hurts," he called out, feigning injury as he jogged after her. 

  


Behind them, locked inside the blast proof cabinet, the crystal shard began to glow white hot, not hot enough to melt through the housing but enough to super heat some of the metal it was in contact with. The metal elongated and dropped to the floor of the container, solidifying almost immediately. A low hum vibrated through the casing as the crystal began to pulse steadily with a blue ethereal glow.

  


****

  


"The reports that we've heard and the truth varies widely but from this reporter's point of view, I am likely standing at ground zero." The woman held the microphone tightly as the red light kept blinking and the studio's questions were fed to her ear piece. "Could this be the work of the aliens? We truly cannot say but the destruction we're seeing here rivals that of downtown Detroit ten years ago. We can only speculate as to the cause."

  


The two news readers in the studio glanced at one another. "Sure sounds like we should be keeping an eye on the skies. Jenny has there been any news on the people that were working there? Or what kind of work they were carrying out?" 

  


The reporter on the screen waited as his question was relayed. Before she shook her head. "When we contacted the institute responsible for funding they refused to comment stating that they have not had chance to do a proper investigation and we--" 

  


The news casters frowned as Jenny responded to her camera man who was pointing to something off screen. 

  


"Get the camera on that, can we get closer? Studio, we seem to have found what looks like a possible survivor, we're attempting to get closer, but the rescue teams and police are making it difficult."

  


Suddenly distant alarmed hollers could be heard off camera and the male news caster frowned slightly. 

  


"What is that?" Jenny murmured into her microphone. "Oh my god, let's get out of here," the camera image went shaky. 

  


"Jenny what is it, what are you seeing?"

  


"This reporter has never seen anything like it. Something came out of the rubble. Human... At least I think it was human," Jenny's voice was breathless as she ran. 

  


"Jenny look!" The camera man shouted. 

  


The news casters both stood quickly as the image panned over to something lumbering through the smoke before the camera dropped and bloody feet ran past, some with visible bones showing. 

  


The female news caster covered her mouth with a gasp as Jenny and her camera man's screams could be heard before the screen went black. 

  


****

  


Cybertron - Iacon palace.

  


Optimus frowned at the data pad of new policies that Sentinel had given him. Even this long after the battle on Earth, the mech was still pushing for more of a military presence in the city. It was only a step short of martial law and it made Optimus uncomfortable. Ultra Magnus wouldn't have wanted this. 

  


He glanced at the matrix containing what was left of the All Spark. It was kept here in the grand council chamber, outside of Magnus' room and away from prying optics for safe keeping. It was locked up in a transparent case on Sentinel's orders and two guards were constantly stationed at the door to the room. Optimus wondered when his former best friend had become so paranoid. He was still convinced that Cybertron was going to be overrun by organics at any moment, if it wasn't already. He shook his helm with a faint smile. It would be amusing if the mech weren't abusing his position of authority to act on his ridiculous notions. Terrorising citizens and declaring martial law was not the way to maintain peace and if Sentinel wasn't careful he'd end up with riots in the streets. 

  


Opening up a file to make his amendments, Optimus found he couldn't concentrate. He frowned and shook his helm as a persistent humming gradually filled his audios. He looked, perplexed, around the room. "Is anyone there?" He called out, feeling silly as his spark pulsed faster with trepidation. 

  


There was no response but that humming continued. For Optimus it was eerily familiar but he couldn't place where he'd heard it before. Frowning he stood, looking about the room, suddenly getting the feeling he was being watched. "Show yourself!" He called out. "If this is a prank, you've had your fun, come out and I'll take the matter no further," he walked a little way from the table. There was nobody in the room and not many places to hide in. "Jetstorm, Jetfire?" He called out again. They were the first two who came to mind when he thought of pranks. They'd become notorious. "Sari, Bumblebee, if that's you..." 

  


He stopped, his words cut off as a flash of light caught his attention. He stared at the matrix which was now faintly glowing. It hadn't done that since they'd brought it back from Earth. Moving closer and placing his hands on the case, he peered inside. The All spark glowed brighter, pulsing steadily. The pulses were getting faster and brighter until a bright flash sent Optimus staggering back into the table, shielding his optics. The humming was so loud, the red and blue mech had to cover his audios, not getting chance to turn them off before there was a loud crack, similar to thunder he'd heard on Earth and he felt an intense heat washing over his plating. 

  


The humming stopped abruptly. The silence settled heavily in the room and Optimus straightened, a frown on his face as he approached the case. He gasped sharply, his optics brightening at the sight that greeted his optics. "Optimus to Sentinel, get to the grand chamber immediately, we have a problem!" He paused momentarily as Sentinel demanded an explanation and placed his hand on the glass which felt warm to the touch. "It's the All Spark. It's gone."

  


****

  


"How the frag can it just disappear!" Sentinel's voice took on an almost shrieking note as he gesticulated frantically. "How do I know this isn't your doing, Optimus?" He pointed a finger at the red and blue mech accusingly. 

  


"Come on, Sentinel, seriously?" Jazz spoke up, attempting to placate the Prime before he blew a fuse. 

  


"What it's not like he's above breaking the rules, nor are you for that matter, if I remember correctly. Wouldn't surprise me if your whole fragging team of rejects were in on this!"

  


"To do what, exactly?" Optimus asked with confusion. 

  


Sentinel glared at him. "Usurp me. Undermine my authority. Everyone knows you've been against me since you returned a self anointed hero."

  


"Nobody is trying to usu--"

  


"Sirs! Sentinel Prime, Sir!" Optimus was cut off when a guardsmech rushed into the room. 

  


"What! Can't you see I'm dealing with a crisis here!?" Sentinel hollered at the mech. 

  


The mech frowned and gestured to the monitor. "You really should see this, Sir. The reports have just started coming in. I think it's urgent."

  


Jazz ignored Sentinel's further complaints and activated the monitor. They watched as report after report came in. Sentinel quieted as his attentions were grabbed by the repetition of two words. Words that sent shivers down Jazz's back struts. 'Spark Eaters.' He glanced at the guardsmech who looked like he was about to purge his tank. "Where are these reports coming from?"

  


"Um... Iacon central. Historical District."

  


Jazz looked at both Optimus and Sentinel. "We need to check the security feeds now."

  


"You can't possibly think there are actually spark Eaters. They're a myth. Stories told to frighten sparklings in line. This has to be some kind of joke!" Sentinel argued, not wanting to consider the possibility of there being real Spark Eaters.

  


"I'm sorta with Sentinel on this one, Jazz," Optimus added with a worried frown. "Spark Eaters are a youngling's ghost story."

  


"Yoketron once told me that in every story there lies a buried truth,"Jazz shook his helm. "There are things we tell ourselves so we can recharge more easily. Are you willing to take the chance that just maybe this story isn't make believe and do nothing?" He marched from the room. "I'll check the security feed myself," he added tersely. 

  


Sentinel scowled and huffed air through his vents. "There's no talking to him when he's like this. Fraggin' ninjas," he muttered. 

  


Optimus nodded in understanding. "Yeah, I know the feeling."

  


****

  


"We shouldn't be in here," Jetfire hissed as Sari waved him off dismissively. 

  


"Don't you want to know?" She insisted, climbing carefully down into the store room. "Something is going on, didn't you hear the reports? Spark eaters, doesn't sound good to me."

  


Jetfire glanced at his brother. "We is afraid. Spark eaters are evil," he shuddered.

  


Sari frowned as the two brothers joined her. In her upgraded form she was only slightly smaller than them. The medics had told her that her human half restricted the growth of her Cybertronian half and she would likely never grow taller, even when she got her final upgrades. Nor could she transform. It sucked and separated her even more from those that might've been friends. "What's a spark eater?"

  


Jetstorm moved unconsciously closer to his brother. "They is being evil. They suck out your spark. Feed on your life force."

  


"You deactivate and your spark never can join the All spark," Jetfire added, a tremour to his voice. 

  


Pursing her lips, Sari nodded in understanding. "So they're like zombies stories on Earth," she stated softly, turning back to the door. 

  


"We is not knowing of a zombie," the twins replied anxiously. "Are they scary?"

  


"Depends who you talk to," Sari shrugged. "They're just stories," she added nonchalantly, pressing her ear to the door.

  


On the other side Sentinel, Optimus, Rodimus and Ironhide had all gathered around the security monitor and were watching Jazz scroll through the data from the time and place when the reports had originated. 

  


"Whoa, what was that?" Rodimus declared suddenly, pointing at the screen. "Jazz, go back two cycles," he prompted.

  


Jazz did as requested and slowed down the feed. 

  


Rodimus frowned. "Could have sworn I saw something," he muttered, giving his fellow primes a sheepish shrug. "My bad."

  


"Wait!" Optimus called out suddenly. "Back one groon, there!" He pointed and they all leaned closer to the screen. "Jazz, can you make it bigger?"

  


"Sure thing, OP, hang on," Jazz replied focusing on the shadowy image that had been slowed right down. 

  


"By the All Spark," Ironhide exclaimed as the image began to focus. "Are you all seeing what I'm seeing?"

  


"This isn't possible, this must be some kind of trick!" Sentinel glared defiantly at the screen. "You said he was dead, all of you said..."

  


"We did," Optimus replied softly, his optics bright with disbelief. "He was..."

  


"Then how do you explain that!?" Sentinel demanded, jabbing a finger at the screen. "If any of what happened on Earth is the truth--"

  


"--Mech it happened. I watched him deactivate, held him in my arms while he did, don't tell me it didn't happen. Don't even start thinking that way."

  


Sentinel bristled at Jazz's low even tone but quieted with a frown. "But that..." he gestured to the screen. "Is him."

  


Optimus nodded slowly, still not sure what to believe. 

  


Rodimus pulled a face at the screen as he peered closer. "And he's one of them. He's a spark eater," he whispered. 

  


****

  


Sari was having none of it. Prowl a spark eater? He'd never hurt them she was sure of it. The fact that he'd been seen walking around had shaken her to her core and she fought to keep the tears from falling. Her chest ached at the news, she'd missed him so much, he simply couldn't be one of those things. She refused to believe it.

  


"We is really not supposed to be here," Jetstorm murmured fearfully as they crept closer to the memorial building. They carefully picked their way through crowds and guardsmech. The place was in chaos since those first reports.

  


"I'm not leaving until I find him," Sari snapped impatiently. "He is my friend, if it really is him, I'm not going to let anything happen to him."

  


Jetfire glanced at his brother worriedly. "But if Prowl is not being himself," his voice dropped to a whisper. "What if he is being a spark eater?"

  


Sari's optics glowed fiercely in her robot mode. "Then we send the monster using Prowl's body back to the pit," she armed the pulse rifle she'd stolen. "Nobody hurts my friends, dead or alive," she declared with grim determination. 

  


****

  


Optimus watched in dismay as Sentinel readied the guard. 

  


"This ain't right," Jazz muttered, his arms folded. 

  


"Tell me about it," Optimus agreed with his fellow Prime. "I can't let them kill him, Jazz... Not if it's really him," he added with a frown. 

  


Jazz glanced up at him with a raised optic ridge. "You suggesting a recon, OP?" he replied quietly, his voice almost drowned out by the sound of Sentinel bellowing orders. 

"I can't leave, I'll be noticed straight away," Optimus met Jazz's gaze. 

  


The words didn't need to be said. Jazz gave him a lopsided grin and nodded. "Am on it, OP, I'll be in touch," the ninja drew back and when Optimus turned to wish him luck, the mech had already vanished. If anyone could find Prowl before Sentinel and his death squad, Jazz could. 

  


****

  


The mausoleum was dim and quiet. Eerily quiet, Sari thought to herself. She took cautious steps deeper into the crypt where Prowl's body was supposed to be entombed. The place was familiar to her, she came here often. Many times to talk to the mech who had been a friend and mentor to her but often she came just to sit with him. Everything felt a little easier when she was near him. She hadn't told the others. After ten earth years, they'd probably call her crazy. Cybertronians believed all sparks went to the All Spark, so they'd see those that had gone before, again. Sari wasn't so sure what the rules said about half human, half Cybertronian beings, she wasn't even certain she had a true spark.

  


Shaking her helm and focusing on the tomb before her, she clutched the rifle tightly. She knew how to use it, thanks to Jazz. The cyberninja had taken on her training himself at his dojo in the academy, against Sentinel's express wishes. It had been a fiasco just getting the blue oaf to let her stay on Cybertron. 

  


Holding her breath - even in her robot mode she still breathed although she didn't actually need to - she hesitated before taking the final steps to Prowl's final resting place. Her optics brightened and her gaze was drawn up over the transparent crystal coffin lid that had kept Prowl's frame protected from corrosion. She gasped. 

  


"Oh that is not being good," Jetstorm uttered in a hushed tone behind her. 

  


"It is not being good at all," Jetfire agreed. 

  


Sari stared in heartbreak and dismay, shards of shattered crystal crunched beneath her feet as she unconsciously stepped closer. The upright coffin was empty and the lid sported a hole, large enough for a mech of Prowl's size to climb through. The supporting wire frame of the lid was bent outwards and twisted and there were scratch marks on the crystal panes that hadn't fallen to the ground. Sari couldn't believe it, didn't want to believe it. Whatever had caused the damage, it had done it from inside the coffin.  

  


The twins behind her jumped and squeaked in fear as sudden movement was picked up by all their sensors. Sari spun round, weapon at the ready but had no chance to properly aim as she fired at the dark shadow. She screamed as the shadow seemed to envelope her and a strong hand lifted her easily from the ground.

  


The twins fired at the dark shape with highlights of gold as it picked up Sari like a doll and leapt up, boosters firing as it clambered up the wall, disappearing through an open window high above them. The twins stared up in shock, jumping back as Sari's rifle clattered noisily to the ground at their feet.

  


****

  


Sari gasped as she was set down with a surprising gentleness. Scrambling to her feet, she moved swiftly away from the shadow looming over her and turned to face it. Her optics brightened when she registered who and what the shadow was and froze. "Is it really you...?" She whispered. 

  


"Is it... really you...?" He canted his helm curiously, the words stilted and broken as though he didn't quite understand. 

  


Frowning, Sari dared a step closer and gazed up at the mech she called a friend. "Prowl? Do you remember me?" She asked hopefully. 

  


"Remember... me?" He repeated, visor flickering. He crouched down quickly and peered at Sari closely. "Remember... Sa...ri?" 

  


"Yes! Sari! You do remember, Prowl...do you understand what's happening?" She moved closer and placed a hand on his leg, recoiling quickly when the ninja jerked away from her. "Prowl?"

  


The black and gold mech stared at her a frown creasing his faceplates. "Prowl... I... am Prowl..." he shook his helm and held it in one hand, his confusion turning into distress. "I remember... bright... pain... peace...need..." his gaze snapped to Sari, hard, searching as he crouched down to her level. "Why am I here?" His rich tenor was barely above a growl. "I shouldn't be here."

  


Sari shook her helm in dismay and a faint trickle of fear. This was her Prowl and yet he wasn't. "I don't know. There were reports of spark eaters and there was you on the vid feed--"

  


"--spark eaters," Prowl murmured thoughtfully. "Yes. I need.... sparks," his visor brightened as he pinned his gaze on the young girl. 

  


Unconsciously Sari took a step back and covered her chest. "You wouldn't... you're not... are you...?" She whispered, a shiver running down her spine at the decidedly hungry gaze directed at her. When Prowl advanced towards her and reached out a hand, Sari whimpered and instinctively curled away to protect herself, despite knowing she didn't stand a chance. "Please, Prowl... you're my friend," she pleaded desperately.

  


When no attack came, Sari dared to peek and her frown was replaced by a look of surprise to find Prowl seated on the ground beside her, humming softly in meditation. She knew she should run but she couldn't in good conscience leave Prowl to the mercy of Sentinel and his army. He would be killed again or worse, dissected for science. "Prowl?" 

  


His visor onlined and he gazed at Sari as though seeing her with new optics. "Sari, do you know how dangerous it is to come looking for spark eaters by yourself?" 

  


Her mask retracted and she stared at Prowl, her eyes brimming with tears. His voice was soft, gentle just the way she remembered it being. "It's really you... like really really?"

  


Prowl gave a small nod and smiled at her warmly. "I can't pretend to fully understand but yes, it's really me," he replied. 

  


She couldn't stop the tears from falling as she practically flung herself at Prowl's chest and clung to him. "I'm so confused! I'm so glad you're really here. I've missed you so much!" She babbled, uncaring whether or not he was a spark eater at this point, he looked and sounded like her Prowl and for this moment nothing else mattered. 

Curling an arm about her slight frame, Prowl awkwardly embraced her. "You've grown," he commented with a smile, worry flickering over his face as she began to openly weep against his plating. “Did I say something wrong?”

  


Sari shook her head and held onto him tightly before pulling away a little and brushing her tears away roughly with both hands. “You’ve no idea how good it is to hear your voice,” she smiled and perched on his arm. “It’s only been ten years but it feels like forever,” she added softly.

  


Prowl’s visor flickered. “Ten years…?” he repeated with a whisper, before venting a quiet sigh. “It felt like no time at all,” he smiled sadly at Sari. “Sari, I shouldn’t be here. There is something else, something inside of me,” he frowned and looked away, his gaze distant, weary. “It is strong, I do not know how long I can remain in control,” he looked back down at the girl with worry. “You are not safe.”

  


“Please don’t send me away, Prowl. Let me help, what does it want, is it an it or a who?” Sari asked, her hands curling into Prowl’s arm as though afraid he would cast her aside any moment. 

  


“I do not know, but I feel its presence inside… inside my spark,” he scowled deeply. “It wants to feed, it needs to feed to remain. When I meditate I can almost communicate with it but it has the mind of a young sparkling. It wants without regard or understanding,” he brushed Sari’s cheek gently. “I fear for you if you remain, you must get far away, you must warn others, I must find a way to stop it or deactivate trying.”

  


“No!” Sari yelled, jumping to her feet. “You can’t! Please don’t think or say that,” her eyes glistened with fresh tears. “I’ve just got you back, you can’t leave again… please,” she bowed her head as a sob escaped her lips. 

  


Visor dimming sadly, Prowl lightly brushed her head and lifted her chin to meet his gaze. “It may be the only way, Sari,” he replied sorrowfully. “In the All Spark, I can always be near, I will always hear you but I cannot be responsible for condemning others to fade into non-existence. I refuse to take another’s spark, I know it’s hard but I need you to understand. I need you to be brave, just as you’ve always been,” he smiled with gentle reassurance as she gazed up at him. 

  


Finally she nodded with defeat. “I’ll try,” she whispered, her voice trembling with grief. 

  


Setting her down, Prowl got to his feet. “I must escape this planet, I can feel the pull of sparks everywhere,” he frowned, his fists clenched as a grimace flickered across his face. 

  


Activating her mask and boosters once more, Sari soared up to Prowl’s face. “Earth, there are no sparks there!” she declared, her optics dimming for a moment with thought. “It’s off limits since the humans kicked us off the planet but I think I know someone who will help. Come on!” She urged, heading towards the edge of the roof. 

  


“Wait!” Prowl called out, catching up to her. “Direct me, it is not safe for you--”

  


“--No, Prowl. I’m not leaving. You want me to be brave, then you’re going to let me help you in my way, got it?” 

  


Prowl couldn’t help but smirk at the feisty edge to Sari’s tone and that familiar stubborn glare. “Now that’s the Sari I remember,” he answered with an amused smile. 

  


Her optics narrowed as a grin spread across her face and she turned to lead the way off the building, with Prowl following close behind her. 

  


****

  


“Jazz we didn’t know you is coming!” the twins shared a furtive glance and couldn’t meet the optics of the Prime standing before them. 

  


“I know that look, mechs. Might as well tell me, save me some time. This is a matter of life and death.”

  


The twins nodded sadly. “We know,” Jetfire spoke up first, his optics dimming.

  


Jetstorm looked up at Jazz. “It took Sari. One of those… things…”

  


“...Sparkeater…” Jetfire finished with a whisper. 

“Where?” Jazz demanded. The twins pointed towards the mausoleum and Jazz gritted his denta. “Stay here,” he ordered as he ventured inside, weapon drawn. Approaching the coffin cautiously, Jazz noted the shattered crystal and bent down to pick up Sari’s abandoned weapon. Frowning, he subspaced it and took a klik to gaze at the desecrated tomb. His fingers ran lightly over the crystal edges and his visor dimmed with unspoken grief. Although it made his spark ache to see it, he had wanted to see Prowl’s greyed frame still safely in its resting place but it was not to be. Whatever, whoever they’d seen on the vid feed, Jazz hoped that there was still enough of Prowl left to reason with, especially now that Sari was in danger.

  


“A mech should only have to die once,” he murmured to himself solemnly, pressing his hand against an unbroken pane of the coffin.

  


****

  


Once they’d hit the central highway, Prowl had transformed - with some difficulty, given that his transformation cogs hadn’t been used in ten years - and he’d told Sari to ride him. 

  


They weaved through the traffic with ease and Sari felt Prowl accelerate. She gripped the handlebars tightly, he was moving much faster than she’d ever known him to and she felt that stab of fear that she was being lured away from those who could help her.

  


“We are being followed,” Prowl suddenly stated over the comm. as though reading her mind.

  


Sari glanced behind them but saw nothing.

  


“He is still quite far, but gaining on us.” 

  


Sari was just about to respond when her private comm line activated. 

  


//Sari, it’s Jazz. I’m tracing your spark signal. I’m closing in. Are you in danger?//

  


Prowl jerked suddenly to the left, preventing Sari from replying and he drove off the highway. Veering down some back streets, he skidded to a halt sharply, flinging Sari off his frame.

  


The landing knocked the wind out of her and she peered up, dazed, as Prowl loomed over her, his mouth twisted into some half-amused smirk that was decidedly unfriendly. 

  


“Little girl, did you think I wouldn’t know?”

  


Sari simply stared up at the mech in confusion. “Know?”

  


“I know everything! I am everywhere,” he looked around, his smile widening and a manic laugh escaped his vocaliser. “But I like it here. I like this shell.”

  


“He’s not a shell! He’s called Prowl, he’s my friend and he’ll stop you!” Sari declared defiantly, slowly getting to her feet. 

  


The black and gold mech crouched down and canted his helm at her with all the curiosity of a child. “I know Prowl. He is part of me. He has a strong spark,” the mech sighed and his gaze was drawn to Sari’s chest. “It’s not enough however, I need more. I am sorry, little Sari.”

  


Sari tensed as he reached out for her and she screamed out Jazz’s name, having left her comm active.

  


The mech recoiled slightly, hesitating, a frown marring his features. “Jazz…?” the black and gold mech grimaced and his faceplates screwed up as he cried out. “No! I need this, stop fighting me!” 

  


Sari watched as Prowl snarled and tore himself away from her. “Prowl wait!” she chased after the fleeing ninja, only to gasp when he pounced on an unsuspecting mech, leaving the backdoor of a building and wrestled him to the ground. In the few seconds it took Sari to reach him, Prowl had already broken through the unfortunate mech’s chest plate and had proceeded to devour his spark. She could only stare in horror at him as Prowl finished and stared at the now greying mech on the ground. 

  


Prowl backed away and glared at his energon covered hands with an overly bright visor, terrible realisation creeping over him. “No…” he whispered.

  


“Prowl…?” Sari started, stopping when the ninja backed away from her and held out his hands. 

  


“Please, Sari. I do not know how long I can contain whatever is happening to me. I do not want to hurt you. I must leave.”

  


Nodding in understanding, her spark aching despite her shock, Sari fought back the grief. He would never be her Prowl, the way she had known him, ever again. “The space bridge. Go there. Find Bulkhead, he’ll help you get off planet. Please don’t hurt him.”

  


Prowl nodded and turned away.

  


“Prowl!” Sari called after him, causing the mech to pause and gaze back at her. “Be careful. If the Elite Guard catch you they’ll--”

  


“--I know. Thank you, Sari,” Prowl bent down and gazed warmly at her. “You have a strong, brave spark. Do not grieve for me again. It’ll be alright. I’ll make sure of it,” he gently brushed away a tear from her cheek and Sari shuttered her optics. When she onlined them again, Prowl was gone and there was nothing in the universe that could stop her tears from falling.

  


****

  


“Where is he? If I find out you two have gone behind my back I’ll--”

  


“Sentinel, for the third time, I don’t know where Jazz has gone!” Optimus declared hotly, finally starting to lose his patience with his fellow Prime. “He left, he wanted to track Prowl down, get a head start, liaise with us later, he didn’t exactly give me details.”

  


Sentinel fumed and gritted his denta. “Fraggin’ ninjas, should’ve never made him a Prime,” he grumbled. 

  


“Well in his defence, he was promoted under duress,” Optimus pointed out, ignoring the glare from Sentinel. “Either way, the last message I got from him was that Sari had been taken, the twins are at the mausoleum, we should check there first.” 

  


At that moment a guardsmech raced up to them. “Sirs, there’s been another attack, it’s down in central Iacon!” 

  


"Sparkeater?"

  


The mech nodded fear evident on his face. 

  


Sentinel snarled and marched into the building as he immediately got on his comm and ordered the army to move out. 

  


Optimus felt worry and fear ripple through his spark and quickly followed Sentinel. He hoped that Jazz found Prowl before Sentinel did but more so he hoped that Prowl would recognise Jazz when he did. He opened up a private secure comm to the ninja. //Jazz, there's been a report of an attack in central we're heading there now. Any progress your end?//

  


//I think I found Sari. Closing in now. Where did in central did you say the attack was reported?//

  


//I'm transmitting the coordinates now.//

  


//Frag... OP, that's exactly where I'm headed. I'll keep my optics sharp. Will be in touch.//

  


//Be careful, Jazz. If it is Prowl, he's probably not the Prowl we know and trust.//

  


//Hear you loud and clear, boss.// Jazz paused, his tone a little more sombre when he continued. //Don't worry, mech, it's not the first time I've had to face off a friend. I know how it goes. Watch Sentinel's aft, he has an uncanny ability to attract trouble. Jazz out.//

  


Optimus frowned sadly at Jazz's quiet acceptance of what he potentially had to do. He knew some of the guardsmech's special ops past and out of respect he'd never pried. This new development obviously weighed heavily on the ninja's shoulders. Neither of them had ever expected that they would have to stop Prowl in order to save innocent lives. Optimus hoped that, if it should come to it, they both had the strength to do what was necessary. 

  


****

  


Sari was stood staring despondently at the nearby highway, watching the vehicles zoom by, when she heard the low groaning behind her. Her optics brightened and she turned slowly. Her breath quickened when she saw the mech Prowl had felled, pushing to his feet. Backing away slowly, she hoped he wouldn’t see her but she hadn’t accounted for a spark eater’s uncanny ability to sniff out any living pulsing spark. The creature’s gaze snapped to her and an eerie smile spread across its face before it rushed for her. With only the highway behind her, Sari had no choice but to flee onto it. 

  


She darted into the oncoming traffic, narrowly missing being hit by a large transport. She fell on her aft and scrambled quickly to avoid a cycleformer. Back on her feet, she raced to the central strip, using her boosters to lift her over a stream of fast moving vehicles that were going to fast to swerve around her. A larger freight transport, clipped her as she headed for the central reservation and she spun out, back in the direction of the lumbering, seemingly unstoppable spark eater, that was now wreaking havoc on the road.

  


Landing heavily on her front, she pushed up to her knees and froze as the bright lights of a truck filled her vision. She didn’t notice the flash of white, before she was swept up, out from the path of the truck and in a dizzying move, placed gently on the central island between the two massive lanes of opposing traffic. “Jazz!” she exclaimed with relief. 

  


The ninja threw her a wink and a smile as he leapt into action. His nunchaku were already out and glowing as he expertly dodged traffic, with all the grace and skill he was renowned for. He aimed a kick at the spark eater’s chest, sending it flying towards the bank of the highway. Not pausing to give the creature chance to get up and fight, Jazz landed and with one smooth move had used the laser edge of his nunchaku to slice off the unfortunate creature’s helm. Not skipping a beat, Jazz plunged the butt of his weapon into the creature’s spark chamber, destroying it entirely with a sputtering of sparks. The frame beneath him convulsed and twitched before it finally lay still. 

  


Pulling his nunchaku free and deactivating them, he wiped them clean and sheathed them safely, before returning across the highway, a highway that had come to a complete standstill, to retrieve a shaken Sari. “You okay, little femme?” Jazz asked as he gently scooped her up. 

  


Sari nodded and flung herself at his chest plating, clinging tightly to him and sobbing pitifully. Jazz didn’t need to ask, his spark ached in the knowledge that their friend had been returned to them but had been cruelly corrupted and twisted into something not alive. Transforming around her, he made sure she was safe in his driver’s seat before he set off down the highway. “Where was he headed?” he asked when Sari had fallen quiet. 

  


“The space bridge. We need to find Bulkhead,” she explained, her voice quiet with worry at the danger she’d put her friend in. 

  


“Don’t worry, sweetspark, we’ll find him, everything is going to be alright,” Jazz reassured her, despite not being that convinced of it himself.

  


“That’s what he kept saying,” she replied sadly, her eyes gazing distantly out of Jazz’s windows.

****

  


Prowl watched the space bridge port carefully from his vantage point. Sitting cross-legged on the roof of the nearest building, he hummed softly, letting himself fall into a state of meditation. 

  


"Who are you?" He asked the entity that was sharing possession of his frame. 

  


"I am you," the voice replied, cheerful and confused by the question.

  


"Yet I am me so you cannot be. Who are you?" 

  


"You're not asking the right questions," the voice, which sounded remarkably like his own was filled with hopeful curiosity. "My young Prowl. There is so much you have yet to learn. You must start by asking the right questions."

  


Yoketron's words, a memory from a lifetime ago, Prowl frowned. "Why are you doing this?" 

  


Confusion again. "Energy is life. Life is everything."

  


"Whatever you are, this body isn't yours! Leave!" 

  


"What am I?" The voice was thoughtful.

  


"What?" 

  


"Everything. I am everything." 

  


Prowl was jolted out of his trance like state by a sudden flurry of activity by the space bridge. He frowned at the words that echoed in his mind. 'I am everything.' Could it be? He didn't have time to dwell on it now. Soldiers had arrived to guard the spacebridge and Bulkhead with them. It was time to go.

  


****

  


Jazz turned off the highway and carefully transformed about Sari. "Sweetspark, I gotta go," he crouched down before her. "I need you to stay here. Will you do that for me?" 

  


Sari gazed up at him, optics steady, her mouth turned down. "He's there isn't he? Do you have to kill him?" 

  


Visor dimming, Jazz vented a soft sigh. "Not if I can help it. I promise you that but if he has to be stopped, I'd rather it by my hand than some guardsmech who doesn't give a slag, you get me?" 

  


Mouth twisting, Sari nodded. "I hear you. He's still in there, Jazz. He's still Prowl, please try to help him?" 

  


"I'll do what I can, now stay. I can't be worrying about you and help Prowl, okay?"

  


"Okay." 

  


Jazz threw her a reassuring smile before he sprinted away, leaping easily between buildings and vanishing over the roof. 

  


Waiting until he'd disappeared, Sari set off in a run. She'd visited Bulkhead enough with Bumblebee to know a thing or two about the back roads and short cuts. There was no way she was abandoning her friend to the mercy of Sentinel's army. 

  


****

  


"Prowl, you need to calm down, buddy, they don't want to hurt you, do--" Bulkhead was cut off as the ninja leapt into action, tackling the nearest guardsmech and taking him down easily. Still in control, Prowl managed to restrain the mech before moving onto the next but he felt that deep base urge growing. It was hungry. 

  


"Bulkhead, activate the space bridge!" He hollered as he used processor over matter to subdue the next guard. 

  


"I can't do that, Prowl, no mech is allowed off world because of those spark eaters. Why are you doing this?" Bulkhead managed to remain calm, in spite of the fact his long dead friend was directly in front of his optics, definitely not dead.

  


Prowl snarled as he was bodily hurled to the ground. Using his shuriken he sliced at the guardsmech who howled in pain. Energon dripped onto Prowl's chest and face. "No..." he whispered as the creature, thirsting for energy, took over. 

  


Bulkhead flinched and rushed forward to help the downed soldier. He stopped dead when Prowl leapt onto him and hummed intently over the writhing mech. "Prowl, buddy...? Those spark eaters could be here any minute..." 

  


Peering up slowly at the large green mech, his visor a deep shade of violet, Prowl canted his helm. "And just what do you think I am... bud...dy?" 

  


His spark constricted in his chest with fear. That voice was Prowl and yet there was something... something ancient and terrible staring at him. He watched, transfixed as Prowl resumed his intense humming and the guardsmech pinned beneath him, began to scream. 

  


The ethereal glow of spark energy swirled all around Prowl and Bulkhead stared on with growing horror as he realised the energy was coming from the unfortunate soldier. He felt his own spark being tugged towards that humming and gripped his chest. Spark eater. He turned and ran for his life as screams of panic and pain erupted behind him.

  


****

  


Jazz leapt down and bolted for the distinctive black and gold mech, dodging the bodies of felled guardsmechs. He felt a sharp painful tug in his chest as he neared and picked up the low humming. It resonated deep into his chamber and seemed to grasp his very spark. Prowl was using processor over matter to remove and devour the spark energy from the downed soldier, whose greying frame twitched beneath the black and gold ninja, before falling still and silent.

  


“Prowl! Stop! It doesn’t have to be this way!” Jazz held out a hand, clearly showing his rifle as he carefully approached. He glanced over at Bulkhead who was cowering fearfully by the space bridge terminal. 

  


Peering up at the white and black mech, the violet visor flickered with recognition. “I know your face,” declared the voice, that held only the barest hint of Prowl. 

  


Jazz tensed as the black and gold ninja slowly got to his feet. “Yeah? Then you know I don’t want to hurt you but I will if you force me to,” he frowned deeply and implored his friend that he hoped was still in there somewhere. “Please… Prowl, mech, you can stop this, you’ve got to try.”

  


“Prowl isn’t in charge anymore and neither are you,” the creature smiled creepily. “I do believe, I’m hungry,” it purred and started to advance on Jazz who immediately aimed his weapon for Prowl’s helm. 

  


“Prowl may not be in control but you’re in his body,” he growled out, “and it can be deactivated, taking you, whatever you are, with it.”

  


The creature paused and pouted almost petulantly. “You would kill your friend? Again?” The question was soft, the accusation clear as Praxian crystal. 

  


“I never killed Prowl,” Jazz hissed with burning rage mingled with sharp pain in his spark. 

  


“You didn’t save him.”

  


“There was nothing I could do, you…” Jazz shook his helm, refusing to get baited by this…. creature. “If you don’t stop this, then I will stop you. No more innocent mechs are going to die at your hands.”

  


“Innocent. I am innocent. I am pure.” 

  


“Like slag you are,” Jazz bit out, not wavering the aim of his gun. 

  


The creature that was Prowl laughed and without warning rushed towards Jazz. Bulkhead shouted out a warning but Jazz had already been prepared. 

  


Crouching low, Jazz fired his weapon into Prowl’s leg, striking the knee joint causing him to buckle and falter in his charge, discarding his weapon he dropped low as Prowl still came in for the attack and launched a powerful kick at the damaged joint, tearing a holler of pain from the black and gold mech and sending him crashing face first to the ground. Spinning, Jazz wasted no time, in pinning Prowl’s arms behind his back and locking them there with stasis cuffs. “You might have Prowl’s body but you have no clue how to use it, mech. On your feet,” Jazz commanded. 

  


“‘Jazz!” 

  


Both mechs stopped and turned at the shout, coming face to face with an approaching Sentinel and Optimus, followed by what looked like the entire Elite Guard. “Sentinel, call off the guard, I have him.” 

  


//Jazz…// 

  


The white and black ninja stilled when he heard Prowl whispering to him over his private comm. 

  


//Please… let me go… it won’t stop, it’s hungry. I need to get off world, or it will just keep going.//

  


//Why is it doing this?// Jazz asked, his spark pounding hard in his chest at the familiar sound of Prowl’s voice in his head. 

  


//It needs to feed to survive. It has the maturity of a sparkling, it doesn’t understand what it’s doing, it’s driven by an unfamiliar need. That’s all I’ve managed to understand when I’ve communicated with it, I’ve not had chance to find out more. I won’t unless you let me go.//

  


//Mech… how do I know I can trust you, that this isn’t… it controlling you?//

  


Prowl looked at him, his visor a bright azure. “Either way, if you don’t let me go, everybody here dies or I do. You know what they’ll do to me if they take me,” Prowl frowned, his gaze steady. “I do not wish to be an experiment, nor do I wish to have more energon on my hands. Let me try to stop this. Please, Jazz… for one last time, trust me?” 

  


Jazz held his gaze, conflicting emotions roiling through him. He looked at Sentinel as the Prime barked orders for a handful of guardsmech to take Prowl into custody. He glanced at Optimus and subtly shook his helm. The red and blue mech frowned in confusion. Opening a comm. to Bulkhead, Jazz held Prowl fast. //Bulkhead, activate the spacebridge.//

  


//But… Jazz?//

  


//I’ll explain later, just do it.//

  


Bulkhead didn’t respond and turned discreetly to activate the controls for the spacebridge. 

  


“Good work, Jazz!” Sentinel declared loudly as he tentatively stepped closer, making sure there were guardsmech in between him and Prowl.

  


//Prowl, when I deactivate the cuffs, you hit me hard and you run for the ‘bridge, got me?//

  


//Understood. Thank you.//

  


//Just don’t make me regret it.//

  


The ninja cut the comm. and subtly slid his arm onto Prowl’s back, giving the impression of pushing him forward. The movement caused Sentinel to jerk back, his optics bright and fearful. 

  


Suddenly one of the guardsmech behind Jazz let out a yelp and he spun round in time to see one of the first soldiers leaping on his back and clawing at his plating. 

  


“Sparkeater!” he hollered, pulling an energon dagger from his person and hurling it at the undead creature. It hit the beast directly between the optics, dropping the dead mech like a stone.

  


The other downed soldiers were now slowly getting to their feet, low snarls and groans rattling from their vocalisers. “Fire everything!” Sentinel shrieked as the undead soldiers came in quickly for the attack. 

  


The Elite Guard opened fire on the looming attackers, their front line of defence, scattered as the spark eaters leapt onto them with abandon, uncaring about the laser fire striking their mostly greyed out frames. 

  


The spacebridge flared and rumbled into life, startling everyone. Sentinel immediately ordered a handful of guardsmech to shut it down as he and Optimus helped to fend off the sparkeaters. 

  


Dragging Prowl out from the fray, Jazz deactivated the stasis cuffs. “Run!” he commanded. “We’ve got this.”

  


Prowl nodded his thanks and made a dash for the spacebridge, dodging laser fire and pulse cannon fire as well as sparkeaters that were throwing themselves at anything that moved. He fought one off as it lunged for him and he put his sword straight through its spark chamber, barely pausing to pull it free as he broke into a sprint. Firing his boosters he launched himself at the open gateway, leaping over an astonished and bewildered Bulkhead, who was being mech handled away from the controls by a group of guardsmechs. 

  


“Stop him!” Sentinel bellowed, running for the space bridge with Optimus hot on his heels. 

  


Jazz helped take down two sparkeaters before he dared to look at the spacebridge. Prowl was almost at the event horizon when he heard Optimus shouting and rushing for the bridge. The name he yelled sent chills down Jazz’s backstruts as there was no way for him to reach the bridge in time. 

  


“Sari, no!” he shouted out as the small femme shot out from between the buildings, her booster rockets set to full burn as she bee-lined for the spacebridge. 

  


Jazz sprinted as fast as he could towards the spacebridge; the last of the sparkeaters mostly subdued by the sheer numbers of guardsmechs tackling them. Prowl disappeared across the event horizon and the white and black ninja only just picked up Sentinel ordering for the bridge to be shut down. 

  


Optimus made a flying leap for Sari, missing her only by a hair’s breadth. The spacebridge powered down and the portal shimmered into nothing. Sari had made it through just in time. Trapping her with Prowl. 

  


“Reconnect!” Jazz demanded hotly. “We have to get her back, she’s in danger!”

  


Sentinel seethed and glared at Bulkhead. “Where was the bridge connected to?” 

  


“Earth,” Bulkhead replied sheepishly.

  


Scoffing, Sentinel turned back to Optimus and Jazz. “She’s back where she belongs.”

  


It was Optimus who stepped forward and spoke up first, jabbing a finger into Sentinel’s chest. “We are not going to leave her there. Nor are we going to allow Prowl to wreak havoc with the humans. This is our mess and we are going to get them!” 

  


“I don’t take orders from you!” Sentinel snapped. 

  


“No but do you really think the council are going to let you keep your rank and position when they learn you unleashed an undead Cybertronian onto an unsuspecting and defenceless planet?” Jazz pointed out, his arms folded, his expression stern and cold. 

  


Sentinel floundered and vented air loudly through his vents. “Activate the bridge,” he uttered through gritted denta, pointing a finger at Bulkhead. 

  


“Uh… I can’t… power cell needs to recharge, we only get enough power for one jump every three cycles,” the green mech grimaced and looked at Optimus and Jazz apologetically. “I can only activate it then, I’m sorry you guys.”

  


Sentinel huffed and glared back at them. “We’ll be back in three cycles then. You can be assured I will be taking the entire Elite Guard army with me and this time Prowl better stay dead,” he snarled. Whirling around he began barking orders to the shaken soldiers. “Clean up this mess, take those… things to the science labs, tell them they can do what they want with them. Move it!” 

  


Optimus watched him march away with resignation, his optics dimming with worry for Sari and Prowl. 

  


Bulkhead approached them, his unhappiness and concern written all over his face. “How many Earth days is three cycles?” he asked quietly.

  


Jazz’s visor dimmed as Optimus muttered out a defeated reply. 

  


“Seven.”

  


****

  


Prowl landed and the motion propelled him forward, he managed to regain his balance with a roll, coming to a stop before a scene of devastation. Standing slowly he surveyed the surrounding area. From what he could recall of Earth, this looked like a military base. It was however completely abandoned and had been in some hurry. Glancing about the complex, Prowl frowned and stepped forward. Feeling something soft under his foot, he lifted it and balked at what he found. What was left of a human soldier was now trying to cling to his foot, shaking it gently, he stepped back, his horror growing. There were more bodies littering the ground. Most looked like they’d been eaten. He felt the separate consciousness of the creature stir inside him curiously. 

  


“I came from here, I remember this place,” the voice uttered airily. 

  


Inwardly frowning, Prowl pursed his lip components. “Yes, I was here for some time prior to my deactivation.”

  


“No…. we were here,” replied the creature. 

  


“We…?” Prowl was confused. “Did you possess another poor spark?”

  


“You’re rather obtuse aren’t you?” returned the entity. “I am every spark.”

  


“Me?!” 

  


“Hmm, yes… your mentor… he has thought this about you.”

  


“How do you know about my mentor?” 

  


“Why must I repeat myself?” the creature was becoming agitated and Prowl could feel it trying to take control. “I want to explore.”

  


“No. Not here, there is nothing for you here,” Prowl growled out. He was about to continue when a voice caught his attention and whirled around in time to catch a screaming Sari against his chest. 

  


“Not nothing after all,” the creature purred from within. 

  


“P--Prowl?” Sari peered up at the mech, hoping against hope this wasn’t the thing controlling him. 

  


Setting her down quickly, Prowl frowned at her. “You shouldn’t have followed me. You have put yourself in grave danger!” he snapped with annoyance, his spark roiling in fear for the girl. 

  


“I couldn’t just leave you, they’re going to hunt you, you realise that! I just wanted to help…”

  


“You can’t help! Nobody can help! You need to leave, no, I’m going to try and get as far away from here as possible, you stay!”

“But…” 

  


“No buts, Sari!” Prowl caught himself before he snapped at her again and slowly crouched down. “This thing... is stronger than I ever thought and now it knows how to use processor over matter, I cannot risk you being near me, I would never forgive myself if you were---” he stopped himself with a shake of his helm. “Please stay and go back through the space bridge when it reopens, I will try to stay away.”

  


“Prowl… I didn’t mean to make you angry…. I just--”

  


“--Do not follow me, Sari,” Prowl commanded sternly, before turning on his heel and fleeing the compound. 

  


“I’m sorry!” Sari cried out after him, tears streaming down her cheeks. 

  


****

  


Prowl ran as fast as he was able and when he broke out onto the surface he transformed and sped for the highway, his tires screeching on the asphalt. The city appeared deserted. That wasn’t right, he was sure of it. He could feel in his spark that something terrible had happened. While he drove, he used his internal comm. to tap into the planet’s internet to find out what had happened. Perusing through article after news article, followed by numerous military reports and government declarations, he suddenly skidded to a halt.

  


“By the All spark,” he breathed as he transformed. He had found an article that talked about ‘ground zero’ and had documented human like creatures that hunted and fed on other humans. Zombies, they had been called and Prowl felt a shiver running down his back struts at the remarkable and chilling similarities to spark eaters back on Cybertron. “Did you cause this?” he asked the creature he was playing host to with a whisper. 

  


“I am everywhere.”

  


“You aren’t answering my question!” Prowl shouted in frustration. “Did you cause this!?”

“It is possible that a fragment was left behind. Humans are… young, inexperienced in such matters.”

  


Prowl didn’t know what to think, he didn’t know what to do. His spark twisted at the almost sadness that the creature spoke with. “Why are you doing this?”

  


“I’m not doing anything. I get hungry. I want to live. I like living.”

  


Prowl growled in anger, his fists clenching at his sides. “So did those mechs back on Cybertron and the humans here,” offlining his visor he knew what he had to do. There was no other choice. 

  


The entity bristled with irritation. “You cannot kill me. Doing so would kill you and that is against your core programming.” 

  


Hating the sound of victory in the creature’s tone, Prowl transformed and headed for the last documented military stronghold. “Maybe I don’t have to do anything,” he murmured to himself, enjoying the confusion that was now rippling through the creature’s awareness.

  


****

  


Sari had sat down by the spacebridge, hugged her knees to her chest and cried. For a few moments at least. Getting to her feet, she was resolute in what she had to do. Jazz and the others would undoubtedly come through the space bridge at the next window. It was her job to make sure they could find Prowl. If he couldn’t be reasoned with or controlled then he had to be stopped. 

  


Picking her way carefully through the corpses littering the base, Sari hacked into the nearest computer terminal and was relieved to find that there was still power. From the monitor, she managed to work out where the central command unit was and where other military bases were throughout the country. It seemed in the wake of whatever had happened, many countries had coordinated their efforts in an attempt to minimise any further losses and to combat what could only be described as zombies. 

  


The word made Sari’s blood run cold. It couldn’t be a coincidence that zombies had erupted on Earth around the same time that spark eaters had appeared on Cybertron. It was all very strange and what did it all have to do with Prowl? Sari was now certain that he was central to what had happened and felt deep in her heart that he was the only one who could stop it.

  


****

  


Bulkhead fidgeted nervously as the window to reopen the space bridge neared. He had asked to go with them, but both Optimus and Jazz had refused him. They needed him here, keeping the door open for as long as he could. He was the only one who could do it. 

  


Jazz frowned as Optimus received his expected comm. from Sentinel. “How long?” he asked quietly.

  


Optimus met his gaze with a resigned one of his own. “He’ll be here in a breem. Shortly before the bridge is opened.”

  


Jazz folded his arms and his frown deepened. That meant where would be no chance for him to slip through first, get a head start. Sentinel was adamant that if Prowl wasn’t killed on sight then he was to be captured for experimentation. He had employed the worst of the worst to help him hunt Prowl down and Jazz wanted nothing to do with it. He had exploded at Sentinel when he’d found out, resigned his commission and vowed to stop Sentinel and his barbaric hunt. Prowl didn’t deserve this. He certainly didn’t deserve to be captured, experimented on and then taken apart for parts by a sparkless bounty hunter. Despite being banned from leaving the planet, Jazz would make sure that green, modded monster wasn’t getting his hand on Prowl if it was the last thing Jazz did. To the pit with Sentinel’s orders.

  


“He’s not going to get close enough,” Optimus stated calmly, sensing the unease and anger rippling through Jazz’s energy field. To be able to feel the ninja’s field was testament to just how angry he was. He placed a hand on Jazz’s shoulder in a show of solidarity. “Remember the plan, I distract, you get ahead and find Prowl.” 

  


“Then what, OP?” Jazz asked soberly. “What if Prowl can’t be stopped, if that thing can’t be killed?” 

Optimus’s optics flickered and dimmed. “I’m sure Prowl would want you to stop him rather than the alternative. I don’t think for a klik that he’s sitting idle waiting to be caught. If you don’t stop this, you can be assured that Prowl will. One way or another.”

  


Jazz knew what that meant. He didn’t know what he was going to do when he found Prowl, he just refused to believe there wasn’t a way to save him. Optimus was right though, Prowl wouldn’t hesitate to make the ultimate decision if he couldn’t control the beast inhabiting his body. If he hadn’t already.

  


****

  


Sari watched from her vantage point in the control room. She’d barricaded herself in there, after fending off a couple of zombies that had been wandering the base. That had been six days ago. The space bridge lit up and an alert flashed up on her screen. Smirking to herself, she activated the cameras to the room. “About time,” she murmured. 

  


Jazz came through first and didn’t stop to look around as he sprinted out of the room and through the base. Sari leaned closer to the screen and frowned. That was odd. Freezing the image of Jazz as he’d landed, she canted her head and focused in on his chest. The elite guard emblem had been removed. That was very interesting. 

  


“Trouble in paradise,” she muttered to herself. Looking at the second screen, still focused on the space bridge, she smiled as Optimus stepped through steadily. He was quickly followed by Sentinel who was instantly scowling and complaining. Sari stared in disbelief as a green mech stepped over the threshold. Her first thought was Bulkhead but that notion quickly evaporated when she focused on the spikes and the hook and that white face. “Lockdown….” she hissed. “How could they?” 

  


Knowing she couldn’t trust Sentinel and his small army, Sari focused the base camera’s on Jazz. He was nearly at the exit. //Jazz...// 

  


//Sari! Are you okay?// Jazz stopped in his tracks and looked about himself. 

  


//Yeah, I’m in the base command centre, sending you the coordinates.//

  


//Sorry, femme, I got to find Prowl.//

  


Rolling her eyes, Sari flicked her hair in annoyance. //You want to find him before they do, then get your aft up here.//

  


Half smirking at her authoritative tone as she cut the comm. Jazz shook his helm and did as he was told. Sari really had matured in the last ten years and when she set her mind on something, Jazz knew there was nothing that was going to stand in her way. He darted for the command centre, increasing the dampening field to hide his spark signature.

  


Bulkhead had managed to open the space bridge earlier than anticipated and Jazz had slipped through mere kliks before Sentinel and his mutt showed up. Them not knowing he was here only made his mission easier and he trusted Optimus to provide a distraction. 

  


The ninja paused at a blank, uninteresting door and rapped it lightly. 

  


It slid open revealing a room, filled with computer light. Stepping inside, the door slid shut behind him and he grinned down at the red-headed femme. 

  


“What took you so long?” Sari demanded, a grin pulling at her lips. 

  


“Thought I’d take the scenic route,” Jazz quipped. “Don’t fancy running into any of these squishy organics I’ve heard so much about,” he smirked at the girl’s laugh. 

  


“They’re the least of your problems,” Sari pointed at the screen. “What the frag is he doing here?” 

  


****

  


While Jazz explained the situation with Lockdown, Sari was busy transferring the locations of the nearest military bases. She had only a vague idea of where Prowl had gone based on reports coming from the other bases. It wasn’t much, but it was more than Sentinel and Lockdown had right now. She also knew that the zombies hadn’t spread passed the United States and only a handful of states were now quarantined in an attempt to stem mass panic. 

  


“Jazz….there’s a distress call coming in,” Sari hissed, frowning at the radio transmitter. It seemed that with all the fancy technology based upon her father’s work, none of it was any good without human’s to maintain its upkeep. A zombie apocalypse sort of hindered that upkeep. In an effort to maintain communications between surviving groups, the military had gone back to good old fashioned radio. Not as effective but better than nothing. 

  


They both frowned as the frantic soldier on the other end spoke of zombies and a giant alien robot. They’d apparently tried to shoot it down and that had angered it further and now zombies were running rampant. “He’s talking about a constant humming, Jazz could Prowl be using his processor thingy?” 

  


Jazz nodded grimly. “Sounds like the creature figured it out. I got to get there, fast.” 

  


“It’s the next state, just outside Chicago. A few hundred miles. They’re both quarantined though so shouldn’t be any traffic.” Sari transmitted the coordinates and directed Jazz to a discreet desert exit from their base. “Go, be careful, I’ll try to lead them somewhere else,” she offered the ninja a humourless smile and gazed up at him earnestly. “Please try to save him, he doesn’t deserve this.”

  


“I intend to sweet spark, I intend to,” Jazz reassured gently as he headed for the door. “Keep your optics on Lockdown for me ‘kay? Don’t get too close,” he warned sternly. 

  


Giving him a lazy salute and a wry grin - they both knew she wasn’t going to obey - Sari let Jazz out and re-locked the door behind him. 

  


****

  


“Urggh, this is disgusting!” Sentinel exclaimed loudly, shirking away from the decaying corpses. 

  


Optimus scowled. “What happened here?” he murmured worriedly. 

  


“Is what it looks like, hot shot, a massacre,” came the drawl from the bounty hunter. 

  


“Nobody was asking you,” Optimus retorted before he could stop himself. 

  


“Ooh touchy, I like ‘em when they have a bit of spunk,” the green and black mech grinned widely. 

  


“Now listen here yo--”

  


“--You guys want to know what happened?” Sari’s voice sounded over the base’s intercom system. “Come to me, I’m sending you the directions.”

  


Sentinel scoffed. “Well, she survived. How convenient,” he avoided looking at Optimus’s glare and followed the directions they were given. “Lucky for us.”

  


“Lucky for you,” Optimus muttered sullenly before following them. 

  


****

  


Jazz accelerated along the highway breaking most of the Earth based rules. He pushed himself to go faster, knowing he was on borrowed time. Activating his turbo boost, his engine roared as he approached the sound barrier. 

  


Cybertronian engines were built to hit that speed and some to go beyond it. Jazz had never had the opportunity to go that fast on Earth though. Due to the atmosphere of Earth he was finding it a lot harder to hit that top speed and levelled out around 800 mph. A standard Earth vehicle would be shredded at this speed but Jazz was no ordinary vehicle. With Chicago approximately 230 miles from Detroit, at these speeds he would get there in around thirty Earth minutes. 

  


Red lining his powerful engine, ignoring the alerts flashing across his HUD, Jazz silently hoped it wouldn’t be too late. 

  


****

  


Sari stood with her arms folded, her bright blue eyes glaring up at the bounty hunter, who held her gaze steadily, a smug smirk turning up one corner of his mouth. 

  


“You got spirit, kid,” Lockdown drawled. “I can respect that, but if you don’t tell me where that ninja is, I’m going to pull off your pretty wings like the delicate butterfly you are.”

  


“I am no kid,” Sari declared hotly, not flinching away from the massive mech. Activating her boosters she shot up to be level with his face. “You’re a coward. You lay one finger or hook on me and it’ll be the last prize you ever touch,” she hissed dangerously, tapping the point of an energon staff - that had been deliberately sharpened - against his abdomen. 

  


Eyes brightening as he peered down, Lockdown canted his helm. “Now where did you get that?” he asked with no small amount of surprise. 

  


Moving away and twisting the staff, Sari held his gaze as the staff doubled in size. “You only need to worry about where it’ll end up if you so much as twitch the wrong way.” 

  


Sentinel leaned in to Optimus. “She gets scarier the older she gets,” he whispered in mild disbelief. 

  


“You’re not wrong,” Optimus murmured in reply, not quite believing the young girl was standing up to one of the most dangerous mechs they knew. He would definitely have to have a word about her training, this was bordering on reckless, even for Sari. “Sari, anything you can tell us will help a lot,” he interrupted, knowing full well that she would lead them in the opposite direction. He was glad to have the help in keeping Lockdown at the very least, away from Prowl, until Jazz had the situation contained. 

Mouth tightening into a pert pout, Sari dropped back down to the ground. “He’s in Toronto, there were reports over the radio of a robot attack, that has to be him.” 

  


Ruby optics narrowing, Lockdown had stepped closer to the monitors and while Sari was talking, he rewound the last few messages that had been stored in the computer system. 

  


“Hey! What are you doing?” Sari yelled, rushing for the monitors. Lockdown swatted her out of the way like a nuisance pest, sending her flying. 

  


Optimus managed to catch Sari before she got seriously hurt. “What in the All spark!?” he shouted, squaring up to Lockdown. 

  


“She’s lying,” Lockdown activated the last may day and all of them listened as the soldier implored whoever was listening for help, giving them their coordinates. “He’s 230 miles alright, in the opposite direction.” 

  


Sentinel bristled. “She’s a collaborator, put her in stasis cuffs!”

  


“Sentinel, really?” Optimus chided in frustration. “We’re on a zombie ridden world and you’re intending to leave her completely defenceless?” 

  


“She’s a traitor!”

  


“Who will have to face the consequences when we get back to Cybertron,” Optimus pointed out wearily. “How about giving her the chance to survive the trip, hm?”

  


Huffing, disgruntled, Sentinel relented. “Fine. She’s your responsibility. If that organic steps out of line again, you will be tried right along side her,” with that he stormed from the room and could be heard ordering the Elite Guard to the location, sending the fliers off first. 

  


Lockdown smirked at Optimus and Sari as he swept past them. “One big, old happy family, huh? Not going to stop me from getting my hands on that ninja of yours. Been a long time coming.”

  


“You’re a despicable monster!” Sari screeched, rushing for the green mech as he left the room, only for Optimus to grab her and hug her to his chest. “He needs to die!” she stated, her voice trembling with anger.

  


“Now’s not the time, Sari, let’s just focus on saving Prowl, we’ll worry about him later,” he tried to placate her gently, despite feeling his own anger and desire to see Lockdown perish bubbling just beneath the surface.

  


****

  


Jazz arrived at the human base in time to hear weapons fire and screaming. "Frag," he swore softly. Clutching his nunchuks he dashed past fleeing soldiers and ducked into the base that looked like it had been ripped open. He felt a cold stab through his spark, the Prowl he knew would never hurt humans. That was the reality he had to hold onto as he got closer to the fighting. There were no second chances. 

  


Creeping closer, Jazz's visor brightened as he caught sight of Prowl. For a mech that had been dead for ten years, he wasn't looking too worse for wear. He frowned as Prowl began to hum and the frantic soldiers' weapons shot out of their grasp, leaving them defenceless. Jazz gestured at them silently, to help point the way out and all of a sudden that humming stopped. 

  


Prowl's helm turned slowly and pinned Jazz with a steady glare, a half playful smirk tugging at his mouth. "Jazz."

  


His name was spoken with a mixture of awe and relief and Jazz had to consciously stop himself from relaxing. Prowl was his friend, sort of, but the thing controlling him wasn't anything Jazz wanted to get to know. "Mech, you need to stop this."

  


"But I'm having so much fun."

  


Jazz felt a cold shiver run down his back struts. "You're causing a lot of hurt. If you can communicate with Prowl you'll see that's a bad thing. If you don't stop, I'll--"

  


"--yes yes, Prowl has already explained that you'll stop me," the creature replied in exasperated petulance, not unlike a sparkling. It grinned at Jazz, visor shining mischievously. "You'll have to catch me first!" 

  


Jazz was almost too stunned to react as Prowl transformed and sped off. He quickly set off in hot pursuit though. //Prowl, mech, if you can hear me, they've sent the entire army after you and they're being led by Lockdown. If he gets you before I can take you in and stop this, you know better than I do about what he'll do to you. Please, Prowl, you gotta work with me here// Jazz pleaded over the comm as they weaved and raced along abandoned highways. His spark sank at the lack of response, until Prowl suddenly swerved off road and raced out into an open plain skirting the city. 

  


Jazz followed, not certain if it was Prowl he was following or the thing controlling him. As he drew nearer though he could feel a calmness that was all Prowl radiating from his energy field. 

  


They weaved through dirt tracks before Prowl finally skidded to a halt and transformed. He glanced at Jazz who followed suit and began to walk. 

  


Following close behind, Jazz remained silent, until he saw where they were headed. "Whoa, hold up, Prowl!" Jazz darted in front of him, putting a hand on his chest, negligent of his own safety as he put himself between Prowl and the looming cliff edge. "When I said put a stop to it, I was hoping you'd find a less extreme way." 

  


Prowl halted and held Jazz's earnest gaze. "I have been unable to think of any other way. When I am lucid enough and strong enough to regain control, I keep trying to offline," he explained, helm bowing with guilt and shame. "Every time it saves my life," he frowned and looked back up at Jazz. "You must destroy my boosters. This is the only way." 

  


Jazz shook his helm. "Look, I know this is hard but we can take you to Ratchet and Red Alert. They know good science mechs who will help you."

  


"Jazz, this is a part of me. It can't be fixed. Only stopped." 

  


Stepping back, Jazz looked out on the horizon before gazing back at Prowl. "I watched you die once, I really didn't think I'd have to help you die a second time," he replied with a sad frown. 

  


Prowl's visor dimmed. "I'm sorry to put you in this position, Jazz," he replied softly. "I wish there was another way."

  


"Your wish is my command," came the low, amused drawl. 

  


That was a quick zip of electricity and Prowl arched sharply, crying out as a low EM blast hit him squarely in the back. 

  


Jazz caught him as he crumpled and glared at the smug bounty hunter. "What the frag!?" 

  


"Not the only ninja with tracking skills in these parts," Lockdown replied with a smirk. He pointed the blaster at Jazz. "Now don't you try anything. I will use this on you and I don't think the recriminations will be severe given that you're due for a court martial, former guardsmech Jazz."

  


"That's former Prime to you, you low life," Jazz growled out, his sharp optics picking up the dust cloud of the incoming army. There was nothing he could do but wait. There was no way he was leaving Prowl to this sick mech's mercy. He looked down at the black and gold mech in his arms as he stirred with a groan. 

  


His visor was dim and unfocused. "So much energy... Can taste it..." he hissed almost desperately. 

  


Jazz tensed and glanced up at Lockdown. "Mech, I think you should run," he warned softly, his voice grim.

  


Lockdown scoffed. "Yeah, because I'm dumb enough to fall for that," he laughed. "You know, I’m actually disappointed you didn't put up more of a fight."

  


"For once in your fragging life, listen to something other than the sound of your own voice," Jazz hollered as he tried to keep hold of a writhing, snarling Prowl. "Run!" It was to no avail. The black and gold mech broke free, sending Jazz flying back with a targeted processor over matter burst and he crouched, visor pinned on Lockdown. 

  


"Huh," grunted the bounty hunter, his chain saw ripping into life. "This should be fun," he drawled with a large grin. 

  


The creature canted its helm and a dark smirk spread over Prowl's face. "Fun," it repeated menacingly before launching itself at the green mech. 

  


Jazz kept his distance this time. He watched as Lockdown put up a fierce fight but the creature inside Prowl seemed immune to the pain that Prowl had to be feeling from the wounds inflicted on his body. Just like all spark eaters though, he was relentless and unstoppable and Lockdown fell before the first guardsmech came into view. 

  


Getting to his feet. Jazz dared to creep closer and stopped dead at the sight of Prowl perched on Lockdown's now gaping chest, his hands, face and chest covered with glowing energon. The white ninja tensed as Prowl straightened. 

  


"For such a talkative spark, he went rather quietly," the creature mused absently. 

  


"Yeah... ironic," Jazz replied soberly. "It's too late," he added as Sentinel and Optimus showed up and transformed. "I'm sorry, Prowl."

  


"Not your fault," Prowl replied softly, turning to face the Elite Guard.

  


Every soldier instantly raised their weapons at the sight of him but none dared to come closer. 

  


"Jazz, I see you defied my orders," Sentinel began haughtily. "This means court martial and--

  


"--and as you've managed to apprehend Prowl, I'm sure that we can see fit to have you acquitted," Optimus interrupted, placing a firm hand on Sentinel's shoulder. 

  


"Wha--?"

  


"Pick your battles, Sentinel," Optimus uttered quietly to the blue Prime. Turning back to Jazz and the black and gold mech who caused his spark to clench painfully at the sight of him; Optimus stepped forward. "Prowl, you are to be taken into custody. I will ensure that you are treated fairly and with respect."

  


Prowl bowed his helm slightly with a small smile. "As I knew you would, but Optimus, you know as well as I do that this isn't something that can be contained. It must end and I must be the one to end it."

  


Optimus met Prowl’s steady gaze, he did not need it spelling out for him. He tensed when Sari ran forward. 

  


“Please don’t do this, Prowl!” 

  


Gazing down at the girl sadly, Prowl stepped back. “I must while I still--” he shook his helm and frowned. 

  


“Prowl?” Jazz tentatively reached out a hand but didn’t touch the mech beside him. He could feel the vibrations in Prowl’s energy field as the creature took over. “Sari, sweetspark, step back now,” he held out a hand to her, positioning himself half way between them. 

  


“Have control,” the voice purred smugly. “Prowl is far too weak. He cannot maintain control of me. He wishes to kill us, I cannot allow that,” it declared resolutely. 

  


Sentinel’s mouth pressed into a thin line. “Is this picking your battles, Optimus?” he hissed. Raising his arm, signalling the Elite Guard, he dropped it quickly, giving the order to fire. 

  


The well trained guardsmechs all opened fire at once and Optimus dived for Sari as Jazz curled away defensively, having had no time to get out of the line of fire. He stilled as everything around him seemed to slow down and the air resonated with a low, steady sound. Unfurling, he stared in awe at the guns that had been pulled from every soldier’s grasp. Looking up at Prowl, his spark fluttered with a mixture of fear and respect. The black and gold mech hovered above the ground, crosslegged, just as he had done on top of that building in Detroit, all those years ago. 

  


Onlining his visor, Prowl’s mouth turned up into a sneer as the weapons were slowly turned on their owners. 

  


“Prowl, no!” 

  


At the sound of Jazz’s voice, the creature vented air softly. “They would be senseless deaths anyway,” he murmured as Prowl within him fought to regain control or at the very least dissuade him from killing anyone else. Intensifying his humming, focusing his energies, the creature used processor over matter to cast aside all the weapons and slowly lowered himself to the ground. “You have no power over me,” it declared with finality. Glancing at Jazz, the creature paused. “You saved our lives, but if you come looking for us again, I will not remain so generous,” then the creature turned its back on the army and began to walk away, along the cliff edge. 

  


“And what of Prowl?” Jazz called out. 

  


“He lives,” came the simple reply.

  


Fuming and defeated, Sentinel had had enough. It was unconscionable to allow a sparkeater to wander freely. It didn’t matter who it inhabited, it had to be destroyed. Activating his lance and shield, Sentinel charged at the mech as his back was turned. 

  


Optimus turned in time to lunge for his fellow Prime, but could not stop him hurling his lance through the air like a javelin. They slammed to the floor in a flurry of limbs. 

“What were you thinking?!” Optimus demanded. 

  


“I am saving all our lives!” Sentinel snarled, shoving the red and blue mech off him. 

  


Optimus opened his mouth to respond, when Sari’s shrill scream cut through the air. He turned and the sight that greeted his optics caused his spark to stall. “Jazz…” 

  


Sentinel followed his gaze and his mouth fell open in shock.

  


Still on his feet, stood directly in front of Prowl, Jazz was staring down at the blue lance that pierced right through his chest, through his spark chamber and skewered his spark. His hands shook as he took hold of the handle, gripping it hesitantly before pulling the lance out with a sharp cry of pain, falling to his knees. The lance dropped to the floor and energon flowed freely from his ruined chest. Looking weakly up at Optimus, Jazz managed a weak lopsided grin, before slumping to his side.

  


Prowl, who had turned in time to watch Jazz give his life for him, caught the white ninja before he hit the floor and held him tightly. “Not you… not like this,” he whispered. The creature was watching subdued, solemn. It knew that this one was important to Prowl, just as Optimus and Sari were. It felt… remorse. A strange, alien feeling that some passing sparks briefly shared before succumbing to eternal peace. It could feel Jazz’s spark, he didn’t want peace just yet, even now, knowing he was dying, he fought the inevitable. “Stubborn, like you,” it uttered to Prowl silently, speaking within their shared conscience. “I can save him.”

  


“Please, he shouldn’t die for me.”

  


“It will come at a price,” the creature advised. 

  


“I’ll pay it.”

  


“Not yours to pay.”

  


Optimus ran to Jazz’s side and stared at Prowl warily. “Please don’t take his spark,” he whispered.

  


Prowl met his worried optics. “I… we can save him…” 

  


“How?” 

  


Looking down at Jazz, Prowl cupped his face. “I can save you, will you let me?” 

  


Jazz let out a feeble laugh. “Kinda.. short on options at the moment, Prowl… how about we skip formalities and nggh… you do what you gotta do….” he shuddered painfully as his spark began to gutter and fade. He felt himself being laid gently on the ground and Prowl’s face filled his field of vision. Absently, as his mind began to drift, he wondered if his face had been the last thing Prowl had seen. Then everything became impossibly bright and Jazz shuttered his optics for the last time.

  


“It was.”

  


“Huh?” Jazz had definitely heard a voice. Was this the Well of All sparks? 

  


"The last thing I saw. It was your face."

  


Onlining his optics at the sound of Prowl's voice, he found himself on top of a building. “How did I get here?”

  


“It’s a shared memory.”

  


Jazz whirled around and stared at Prowl bewildered. “Memory?”

  


Prowl gave him a small, sad smile. “My death. We’re not really here, you’re dying on the ground on the outskirts of Chicago, in my arms.”

  


“And you’re a sparkeater?”

  


“Technically, no,” Prowl grimaced awkwardly. “It resides within me.”

  


Jazz felt a shudder ripple through him. “I can feel it. It’s powerful, young and old, this is no spark eater,” he stated in awe. “Mech, you’re carrying the All Spark and it’s alive?”

  


“I realised this too late,” Prowl’s voice was filled with guilt and regret. “But not too late to save you.” 

  


“Save me… how?”

  


“We are communicating through a bond that is forming between us. The All Spark can take spark energy and it can return it, the price however, is you being eternally bonded to it- us... in exchange for your life.”

  


Jazz held up his hand. “Wait, mech, I don’t want to be a sparkeater.”

  


Chuckling softly, Prowl shook his helm. “Nor I and don’t worry, you won’t be.”

  


Tilting his helm, Jazz began to feel more of Prowl and the All spark entity as the bond became stronger. “Bonded, huh?” he threw Prowl a wry smirk. “Didn’t even get a date.”

  


“It can be arranged,” Prowl replied demurely, even as he averted his gaze shyly. 

  


Jazz could feel them both strongly now. It was humbling and exhilarating all at the same time. He could feel the strong emotions that ran deep beneath Prowl’s quiet surface and the power of the All Spark fusing with his very being. He felt himself being swept away in the torrent and became vaguely aware of Prowl holding out his hand. 

  


“Come back with me?” 

  


“How could I refuse?” Jazz grabbed Prowl’s hand and gasped as the building was swept away, leaving him dizzy and disorientated. He onlined on the ground with a sharp cry of release, his systems hot and his fans whirring in an attempt to cool him down. Prowl was leaning over him, his own visor bright. Jazz stared at the sight of the mech’s spark as it retreated back into Prowl’s spark chamber. 

  


“Welcome back,” Optimus smiled down at him with relief. “We thought we’d lost you there for a klik.”

  


“Takes more than that, OP,” Jazz replied, his casual tone belying his shaken mental state. 

  


Prowl stood and watched silently as Optimus helped the white mech to his feet. He could feel Jazz’s unease and confusion through their new bond but wasn’t sure how to react to it himself. This was a development on a far more intimate level than either of them had ever been with each other. They were friends. He wasn’t sure how they were going to adjust to being permanently connected. 

  


“You worry too much,” the creature spoke dryly in his helm.

  


Prowl looked up in surprise as he felt Jazz’s agreement over their connection. The white ninja approached him and took hold of his hand. Prowl couldn’t keep his gaze from drifting to the gaping wound in Jazz’s chest, exposing his chamber and the spark pulsing strongly within it. 

  


“Thank you,” Jazz spoke softly, squeezing Prowl’s hand. “This does mean you can’t go jumping off any cliffs now, you realise?”

  


Smiling subtly, Prowl nodded. “It would defeat the purpose of bonding to you.”

  


“Well now, when you say it like that, you take all the romance out of it,” Jazz quipped, laughing lightly as Prowl quirked an optic ridge at him. “We can control it,” he stated on a more serious note. “You can feel it too, right?” 

  


Frowning, Prowl felt the creature’s presence but it wasn’t as all encompassing as before. “It does seem... quieter. It understands things through you, things I could not make it realise before.” 

  


“Probably too close,” Jazz offered an explanation. “You were also too weak, having just been resurrected an’ all, you were focusing on just trying to regain and maintain control, there was no room for understanding,” he squeezed Prowl’s hand once more. “What happened wasn’t your fault. You did everything you could, it just didn’t get it. We can do more now.”

  


Optimus took a tentative step closer as the two ninjas turned to face him. “So… what happens now?”

  


“We will submit to an examination by the scientists on Cybertron,” Jazz explained.

  


“On what grounds?” Sentinel demanded, he avoided optic contact with Jazz though. 

  


“On the grounds that Prowl is no spark eater.”

  


“What about the thing possessing him?” Sari asked with a worried frown.

  


Glancing at Prowl, Jazz smiled. “That thing... is the All Spark and it is self aware.” There was a flurry of sound and murmuring from the soldiers at the revelation. “It fed on sparks because it needs their energy. It didn’t understand death or pain.”

  


“And it does now?” Optimus asked, concerned. 

  


“Through Jazz, his memories, his pain,” Prowl spoke up. “When it inhabited my body, I was merely a shell, my spark was within the All Spark and so I was at peace, I could barely remember my own death. Jazz was very much alive when I joined my spark to his in order to save his life, the All Spark felt all his pain and learnt the hard way what death means to us and the damage it was causing.” 

  


“Wow, sounds like trying to explain it to a child,” Sari pulled a face. 

  


Jazz chuckled. “That’s probably the most accurate interpretation.”

  


“This changes nothing!” Sentinel barged between them. “You have killed, not just one but many Cybertronians and created sparkeaters out of who knows how many more, you must be locked up!” 

  


“There’s also the zombies here on Earth,” Sari pointed out. “That can’t be a coincidence.”

  


Prowl bowed his helm and the allowed the creature to speak, his hand gripping Jazz’s tightly as the other ninja provided much needed strength and control. “I cannot call back what has passed into the Well, but those that still function shall be returned to how they were,” the voice was as cold and ancient as it had been but this time there was something more, deeper, warmer. Understanding, regret. 

  


A hum filled the air, intense and strong and it got louder, until it was all they could hear. Both Prowl and Jazz stood, their hands clasped tightly, visors offline as ethereal energy seemed to emanate outward from their own sparks and burst from them. It radiated out in all directions like a shock wave, passing through everything in its path. 

  


Sari felt a tingling warmth pass through her as she absorbed some of the energy and she smiled. 

  


The humming stopped. 

  


Sentinel folded his arms and glared at the two ninjas. “This proves nothing!” 

  


Jazz smirked, chestplates whole once more, though his previously discarded Elite Guard symbol had not made a similar return. “Well, as a show of good faith and to prove we are who we say are, a certain mech was also restored to how he was. He will want to speak with you soon and I’m sure he’ll have the rank to make sure you listen.”

  


Optimus’s optics brightened. “Magnus?” he whispered. 

  


“That’s not possible!” Snapped Sentinel, he froze when his comm. blipped. //What?// he demanded.

  


//Sentinel Prime, Sir, there’s a message coming through the space bridge for you//

  


//So take a message!//

  


//Um, Sir, I think you’re going to want to take this.//

  


Sentinel looked at Jazz who gave him a sly wink of his visor. //Why?// he asked hesitantly. 

  


//It’s Ultra Magnus, Sir. He wants to know why his entire army is on Earth and why there is panic in the streets about spark eaters.//

  


Sentinel’s mouth fell open in shock and it was all Optimus could do not to outright laugh in his face. 

  


Prowl smiled and stepped closer to Jazz. “What of us now?” he asked too softly for anyone else to hear. 

  


Jazz gave him a sidelong look and interlocked their fingers with a soft smile. “We go home, we set things right and we take it one cycle at a time. It’s not like we’re going to run out of them now. We can make this work.”

  


Nodding, Prowl gave the other ninja’s hand a gentle squeeze. “One cycle at a time.”

  


  


  


  


  


  


  


  



End file.
